A conventional crossbow with a tubular barrel is illustrated in FIG. 1 of my U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,797. The string release of conventional crossbows must be located a sufficient distance in front of the butt end of the crossbow stock so that the string when cocked is in front of the shooter's face when aiming and shooting. Thus, the draw length of a conventional crossbow is limited to the distance from the riser to forward located string release. For a typical draw length of 13 to 17 inches (also referred to as the power stroke), the draw weight of a conventional crossbow must be around 150 to 225 pounds in order propel a 20 inch arrow of appropriate weight at speeds between 250 to 350 feet per second. Making a crossbow longer to get a power stroke longer than 17 inches is impractical since it becomes heavy, bulky and unwieldy. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved crossbow having an elongated draw length that is significantly longer than the draw length of conventional crossbows of substantially the same overall size, thereby providing a longer power stroke with less draw weight to achieve similar arrow speeds with similar kinetic energies.